REVIEW: the Studs ~ Gaze
This is the second entry in the Studs’ three month, three consecutive release campaign, culminating with their first full album on March 5th. I couldn’t help but notice that the titles on this one are all in English, whereas the titles on the last single were all in Japanese. Nice contrast. Also, Yukino gets no nod here, all three songs are composed by Aie.
The Studs
Gaze
Genre: Nagoya, rock, grunge
Release Date: 02-06-08
Price: 1,575 ¥
Released By: Einustar Records
Tracks: 3
01.Gaze
02.As it Is
03.Advance Insane
Gaze starts with guitar for a few bars before Daisuke comes in, and again some very subtle backing vocals behind him. And that, in fact, is the whole song for one and a half minutes until Yukino comes in with a vengeance, taking over the melody briefly, before Aie returns to counter it. I love it when they do that. The verses from the start are repeated again, but differently, and it almost turns into a completely different song than what the beginning made you think. But it ends the same way, which is lovely.
As it is is next, and Hibiki immediately gets very
cymbal-happy. But fortunately Aie’s riffs take over, and oh what is
that? Why yes, it is in fact the famous Nirvana riff being retooled. I
swear, nearly every modern rock guitarist worth their salt, puts their
own spin on that eventually. I like it here, because it’s not the
dominant riff, just in the chorus. But, unmistakable, to me anyway.
Yukino seems a little hidden here, which is surprising. But perhaps
this one is Aie’s show. He had to get that Nirvana tribute out of his
system. There is a nice line in the bridge, however, and his bass line
is rather high throughout, so it’s easy to miss.
The chorus at the end is wonderful, with Aie’s backing vocals
la-la-la-ing. Sounds very British. Incredibly tight song, and Daisuke
is surprisingly inoffensive as well.
Advance Insane is the last one, and true to its title
features an impressively insane riff by Aie. Said riff easily takes
center stage, to the point where I have a hard time hearing much else,
other than occasionally Hibiki’s awful cymbal lines in the background.
The fake ending around 2 minutes is pretty trademark Aie too. And
again, I have nothing much to say about Daisuke, which is almost always
a good thing in his case.
Back to the contrast I mentioned at the start. The previous single was pretty bass-heavy, as in, that’s what dominated and led most of the time. In this single, it’s Aie’s riffs, and Yukino plays high and in the background. All three of them (the riffs) are very memorable. Also, Daisuke’s gotten just a little smoother yet as well. My biggest complaint is becoming Hibiki’s cymbal use. Or overuse, as it were. Or is. ★★★★☆
Key:
★★★★★ = Excellent, flawless, perfecto
★★★★☆ = Very good, has some minor flaws
★★★☆☆ = Good, maybe a few boring moments, but overall enjoyable
★★☆☆☆ = Fair, bad outweighs the good
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor, possibly offensive to your ears
